


when the night fades away

by homojaku



Category: Bloodborne (Video Game)
Genre: Barebacking, Blood, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, F/M, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, femboy gilbert, gilbert deserved better so now i am taking the canon into my own hands, middle age hunter, not as a kink but just blood in general
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:55:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29727954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homojaku/pseuds/homojaku
Summary: The Hunter collapses in front of Gilbert's home one day from her injuries and the man cares for her, becoming close in more ways than one.
Relationships: Gilbert/The Hunter (Bloodborne)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	when the night fades away

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first m/f fic and you may be able to tell but i hope you enjoy it

The Hunter’s bones cracked, and her flesh squelched as she ran as fast as she could, the yells of the mobs behind her slowly fading away as she got further and further away from them. She was losing a lot of blood and she felt dizzy, but she had no more blood vials left, her pockets empty when she double checked them as she made her way to the lamp that is her savior. The sounds of Yharnam almost overpowered the sounds of her own flesh and bones but her blood roared in her ears as she went up the stairs, the familiar home in front of it bringing her comfort. As she slowly approached the lamp, she heard a loud cough coming from the house in front of her, and her mind quieted as she remembered Gilbert, his small voice and lilting accent, and her chest hurt at the thought of his suffering.

Instead of doing what was probably best and transporting herself back to the Hunter’s Dream where the familiar presence of the Doll always comforted her, she approaches the window of Gilbert’s home, focusing on trying to hear the man inside. She knocks her small fingers against the window gently twice before speaking.

“Gilbert?” she asks, focusing on hearing him instead of her own blood rushing in her ears. “Are you alright?”

There’re two more coughs before the Gaelic accent speaks. “Ay, ma’am, I’m still here.”

The Hunter can’t stop the flood of relief that she feels when she hears this.

“You sound a bit worse for wear, though,” he adds, an unreadable tone in his voice. “Are _you_ alright?”

The Hunter laughs lightly before hissing in pain, holding her side where she continues to bleed slowly. “I’ve had worse. I just ran out of my healing but I’m finally somewhere safe.”

“You don’t have any more healing on you?” Gilbert asks, his voice again filled with _something_ that the Hunter can’t recognize.

“I went towards that beast on the broken bridge, but he took a little too much out of me,” she jokes, her fingers feeling the claw marks digging deep into her stomach.

She swears she hears something like a hum from the other side of the window, but she’s starting to feel dizzy enough to start questioning if she was really seeing what she thought.

“I just wanted to check on you,” she whispers, placing her fingers on the foggy window. “I’ll leave you be, now.”

She starts to turn before she loses her footing, falling to the ground from her lightheadedness.

“Miss! Are you okay?” Gilbert asks, voice louder than she’s ever heard it before. She must be hallucinating before she passes out, Gilbert is way too mild-mannered to shout like that.

She can’t respond before her vision starts to blacken, and she hopes that her blackness doesn’t last too long before she can see the Hunter’s Dream again.

~~

Gilbert’s body ached from top to bottom, his lungs burned, and his mind was racing. He barely managed to grab the Hunter from outside of his home and dragged her in slowly, trying his best to prevent her from bleeding out even as his body fought against him. Eventually, he was able to situate her on his small bed before he rested for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t care for the hunter if his body was going to give out in mere moments.

After he recovered, he worked slowly on undressing the lady hunter and assessing her wounds while trying to not to harm her chastity in the process. When he managed to pull her face covering down and took off her hat, he was able to see her for the first time. She had messy dark red curls pinned up tight on her head and she had pale lines on her face marking her age. Despite how much he tried, he couldn’t stop the beating of his heart or the heated gaze he couldn’t take off of her. She looked at peace and if Gilbert couldn’t see her shallow breathing, he would be worried that she had perished.

The next few hours are spent cleaning and caring for her wounds and changing her clothes into something that is less covered in sweat and blood. His clothes were slightly small for her frame, but they’d have to work for now, considering her situation.

After the task is completed, he puts some incense in the room and leaves her to rest, though his chest aches with something more than the rattling cough that has been plaguing him.

~~

The Hunter wakes on something softer than she has felt in a very long time, the area around her barely light enough to see her surroundings.

 _Was I kidnapped again?_ She thinks to herself, before she hears footsteps along with a tap that sounds _different_ from the footsteps.

She slowly sits up, her sides sore, but she can finally focus her eyes on the area around her. She was in a small bed, covered in magenta sheets and blankets with small pillows behind her. The room doesn’t have much inside of it, furniture wise, but there are small bits of things that show life around the room: scattered books, half burnt candles, clothes rumpled on a chair in the corner.

She turns her head and sees someone much more beautiful than she’s ever seen since she arrived at Yharnam. He’s slightly smaller than her but thin, lithe, and has curly strawberry blonde hair that falls around a soft, feminine face. He has plush lips and bright green eyes and he’s holding a cane in his right hand, leaning against the door frame, and watching her gently. She notices that his pupils are starting to expand, but he looks cognizant.

“Ah, you’re awake now,” the man says, and the Hunter’s eyes widen to hear the deep voice of Gilbert. “Sorry to have surprised you.”

This is her first time seeing Gilbert in the flesh, considering how foggy and warped his window is, and something in her chest curls tightly.

She only just notices her change in clothes, these ones considerably more masculine smelling and tighter on her chest and hips. She has bandages wrapped around her stomach and legs where she had taken the brunt of her attacks, but the blood seems to have faded.

“Where am I?” she asks, moving her line of sight from her bandages back to the unfairly attractive man in front of her.

“My home, I took you in when you collapsed back in front,” he answers, walking to the bedside and sitting on the edge, setting his cane to the side. “I thought you had died in front of me, I was petrified.”

 _He doesn’t know that I will reawaken,_ the Hunter thinks to herself, but doesn’t mention out loud, not wanting to appear ungrateful for the kindness that Gilbert has given her.

“I’m sorry to have intruded upon you,” she says, moving her legs to step off from the mattress while wincing in pain. If she could just go to the lamp, she’d be healed completely and not have to worry about bothering this kind man.

“You did not, ma’am, and you’d better continue to rest up. Your wounds are deep, and you’ve lost a lot of blood. I don’t have much healing here, but I can watch over you while you heal,” he says, putting his large and thin hands on her shoulders to push her back onto the bed with what little strength he has. “I’m not letting you out of here until you’re well. You frightened me out there and I do not want to have you turn up dead when you’re the only one who can talk to me in this cursed place.”

 _Ah, right, he has no companion here,_ the Hunter reminds herself.

She sits back, not wanting to upset the man any further. She supposes that more time here wouldn’t hurt, considering how time seems to be at a standstill during the hunt.

“Alright, as long as you’re sure it wouldn’t be a hindrance on your peace,” she says, giving him a small smile. “I thank you greatly for your kindness, Gilbert.”

“Ah, it is nothing, Miss,” he says as he stands again. “You should sleep more if you can, it helps speed up the recovery.”

She had been sleeping for gods know how long at this point, but her eyes do feel tired still. “Have you been able to rest properly, considering I’ve been in your bed?”

The turn of phrase makes heat crawl up the back of her neck.

“Don’t you fret, I’ve been able to sleep as well as one can during the hunt,” Gilbert replies, giving her a small smile back. “Worry will not help you, focus on your own recovery.”

She has no argument to that, so she leans back to lay gently on the sheets that had offered her comfort for a time. “Please feel free to move me if you need the space, my friend, you’re much too kind for your own good.”

Gilbert chuckles in a way that tells her that this will not happen, even if she tries to force it upon him. He leaves her in the room to sleep, and she can’t force herself awake any longer.

~~

Gilbert spends the next bit of time (it feels like it’s been more than days but the moon is still out, so he can’t say for sure) watching over the Hunter as she slowly recovers and becomes part of his quiet life, even if only for this small window. He learns things about her that he would never know if he had kept that windowpane between them—like how she takes her tea with only a little bit of sugar and no milk; how she stays quiet until she gets a little restless and starts asking Gilbert about his life or the books he’s reading; how she has scars on her legs like small puncture wounds that he can’t tell if they’re from gunshots or something else. She’s got a darker sense of humor about the hunt, touching her scars on her skin, and laughing when he shows concern over her.

He can’t really wrap his head around her, but she’s very pleasant to be around. Even if she doesn’t speak much, she always asks Gilbert about how he is, checks on him when his coughing fits are too violent, offers the bed to him when she is able to move around. She’s quite stubborn about caring for Gilbert, but he supposes that he can’t blame her when he’s the same about caring for her.

He hasn’t cared for anyone in this way during his life, and he wonders if the rapid beating in his chest has something to do with it.

She sometimes proves to be troublesome when she refuses to let him care for her, especially once she is able to walk again, but he can be just as stubborn about this as she can.

“I can change my bandages on my own, now, Gilbert,” she says, the foreign accent lilting around the words, red flushing in her cheeks. “I appreciate your help thus far, but I can take it from here.”

“You can barely bend over, and your wounds are high on your sternum,” he argues. “You can’t reach it properly and I could. If you don’t cover it well, you’ll get an infection.”

 _I don’t want you to suffer any longer,_ he doesn’t say.

She sighs deeply, but there’s a smile on her face. “Nothing I say will convince you, will it?”

He grins back, the answer unsaid.

Eventually, she allows him to care for her wound by lifting her blouse to just under her breasts and giving him room to work on the deep claw marks that are slowly scabbing over. They’re still deep, but he can see where her flesh is mending itself together. She’ll have scars, but a lady of her state is not affected by superficial marks such as these.

He’s noticed her beauty more in the days they’ve spent together, especially considering how casually she has dressed while staying in his home. She’s mostly stuck to wearing his shirts and her regular hunter trousers and the sight has had an effect on him. The creases in her face give her a mature feeling, and she’s fond of letting down her dark curls so they can bunch around her angular face. Her smile lines are more pronounced when her plump lips smile, and her eyes seem to sparkle when she laughs. He’s very fond of her presence and does not look forward to when she leaves to continue the hunt. She will go off to gods know where and meet creatures that will do much more harm to her and he can’t follow her to make sure she stays safe. An emotion he can’t name runs through him at the thought of her, alone, in pain, possibly on death’s door. He wishes that he wasn’t so weak, that his body wasn’t a liability, so he could travel with her, make sure she’s well, but he’s stuck in this tiny home that reeks of incense and echoes the sounds of beasts crying in the city.

“Gilbert?” she asks, most likely because his hands have stilled on her stomach when he’s supposed to be healing her properly. “Are you alright?”

He could lie. He could say that he’s alright, that the dust in the room is what is causing his eyes to water. He finds it hard to lie to her though, her light blue eyes focusing deep on his.

“I’m worried, ma’am,” he says, throwing caution to the wind. “I’m worried about you dying on me out there.”

A strange look passes over her face after he says this, but she smiles and lifts her hand to place it gently on his cheek. Her hand is warm, so comforting in the damp, cold place he has spent the last few years of his life withering away in.

“I promise not to die on the hunt,” she says, her voice soft and gentle, feeling like a hug around him. “I understand your worry, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“I worry about you dying on me when I leave,” her voice feels honest, raw. “I worry I will come and knock on your window and you won’t answer. That you’ll die alone in here on this awful night.”

He can’t remember if anyone has worried over him like this before. Ever since he stepped in Yharnam, the memories he has of the outside world and his past are vague and hard to piece together. When he talks to her about his life, it’s always things he’s sure of, memories of this cold town that took him in when he searched for a cure. Her warm hand makes his heart beat fast and the worried look in her eyes betrays the small smile she gives him.

“I can’t promise you that I won’t die,” he says before he can stop himself.

“I know,” she says, lowering her hand from his cheek and leaving him cold where it once was. “That’s why I have a proposition for you.”

“Can I finish this, first, so you can look proper again?” he asks, trying to delay the sinking feeling in his gut.

She laughs, and his heart races again.

He finishes her bandages as fast as he reasonably can before fetching her one of the few blood vials he has left. He hates to watch her inject herself with it, the practice much more gruesome than the way he has always used it. “It heals faster, this way,” she had told him, but he thought it was the reason behind the small scars littering her legs.

Once they finish, she sits in front of his fire as he takes his normal place in the chair that sits in front of his window.

“You’ve told me of safe places in this hellhole,” she starts, not looking at him, but staring deeply into the fire. “When I find one, I want you to come with me.”

Now, she turns her eyes towards him, bright with conviction and that stubborn look he’s come to know well.

“I don’t think I could make it there, wherever it may be,” he says, chest burning as hot as the fire. “You know how difficult it is for me to walk. The beasts out there would kill me before I got near.”

Her eyes burned into him and he wished he wasn’t so weak and frail. Maybe he could have had a different life with the Hunter, one where she wasn’t concerned every time his breathing was slightly too shallow.

“I will bring you there, wherever it is,” she says, voice firm. “I will not let you perish in this awful place.”

He wished he could believe her. He wanted to throw himself in her arms and trust her to protect him, but he couldn’t. She was too strong to be brought down by a burden like him. What would he even bring to her? Nothing but tragedy and heartache.

“Trust me, Gilbert, I will take care of you.”

God, he wished he could.

~~

The Hunter did not want to leave Gilbert. She knew he would be safe from the beasts outside due to his window bars and the incense protecting him, but she could not guarantee that he would survive until she found a safe place. She needed to fight that beast on the bridge and find the place Gilbert had told her about. Every cough, every groan in pain that she heard from the smaller man would send a chill through her, a spike in her heart that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She was almost fully healed now and had no excuse to stay behind. She had intruded on him for long enough and she had a task here that she was given. Even though she had only come to Yharnam for a cure, she was a hunter now, and she needed to finish this task. Something was wrong with this town and she needed to uncover why it was like this.

This man, though, he called to her and she couldn’t ignore the warmth in her chest when he would smile. She couldn’t ignore how much her chest ached in pain when she thought about the possibility of coming back to seeing him dead or changed into a beast himself. It was harder and harder to ignore these feelings, even if she wanted to.

Hunters don’t have time to feel affection for another person. She didn’t have time to care for someone as deeply as she wished to care for this man, but she did.

When she finally realized that she felt something close to love for this man, it was at the same time she realized that she was fully healed and needed to go back to her mission. She felt joy in seeing Gilbert and knowing what she was feeling, but she was also feeling sorrow and deep pain at the inadequacy she felt when it came to protecting Gilbert.

She could only stay for a few more hours, which hurt her, but she knew something she could do to feel closer to him for the time she was away.

~~

Gilbert couldn’t really say he was enjoying himself as he sat by the window, but there was something relaxing settling into his bones. He felt filled with the scent of the protective incense and Yharnam was quieter than usual. The Hunter was in another room, but Gilbert could hear her moving around, small sounds of life in his otherwise quiet home. He felt at peace.

As he flipped casually through a book he had read before but enjoyed rereading, he heard the Hunter step into the room, her energy filling the room and the smell of hunters taking over the incense. Many people complained about the scent of hunters, but Gilbert enjoyed it; the scent was like copper, but with underlying notes of rain and Earth.

He looked up from his book to gaze at the Hunter, as he usually enjoyed doing. It was usually when she wasn’t aware of it, when she was distracted by something and he could truly enjoy looking at her without fear of embarrassment. He loved watching her as she read, jaw working slightly and laughter lines visible. She was older than him but something about that felt safe to him. He knew she was strong, had seen the lean muscles lining her arms and legs, but the way she carried herself was comforting to him.

She came into the room with a determined look on her face, something that Gilbert had gotten used to seeing in her stubborn moments. She was dressed down, only wearing one of Gilbert’s looser shirts and trousers. Her hair was down, as it was often during her stay, curls flowing gently around her shoulders and framing her face.

“Madam?” Gilbert says, calling out to her. Her expression is complex, reading stubborn but also soft, and he is worried. “Are you alright?”

“I have to go, Gilbert,” she says, her voice quiet, and it feels like his chest is going to collapse. He knew this was coming, but he still doesn’t feel ready. “I was given a task as a hunter that I need to complete.”

“I understand, ma’am,” he says, trying to will his voice to be even and not convey the emotions he was feeling. “Please stay safe out there. If you need me, I’ll be here.”

She slowly makes her way over to him, hips swaying slightly, and Gilbert doesn’t know where to keep his eyes on the woman in front of him. He’s gotten used to her presence as she has stayed with him, but her beauty still made his chest ache when he least expected it.

“Gilbert,” she says, coming close to him until her larger body traps Gilbert in his chair, her strong legs around his smaller, lithe ones. “I have to go.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond, especially when she leaned down, trapping him with her arms set against the wall behind him.

“Before I go, I have to do something,” she whispers, accent thicker than usual, and he felt her breath on his face, on his neck, making his stomach coil tightly. “If you don’t want this, push me away and I will never try again, I promise on my life.”

Gilbert doesn’t know if he would have the strength to do so in his life, but he nods in agreement, stomach tense. He doesn’t know how to respond when she crashes her lips against his, all soft and hard at the same time.

He didn’t know that he wanted this, but now that she was so carefully taking his lips and taking his heart, he couldn’t even think of pushing her away. He felt settled, like something clicked inside him that hadn’t clicked before.

She separated from him, leaving his mouth damp and warm in her wake.

“Ma’am—” Gilbert starts, before the Hunter interrupts him.

“Eliza,” she whispers, voice thick with emotion. “Call me Eliza, please, Gilbert.”

“Eliza,” Gilbert responds, and Eliza shakes in response, her shoulders stiff.

“Gilbert, please, tell me if you want me to stop,” she sounds desperate, like her life is on the line, and he understands.

“Eliza,” he breathes, the name tasting new in his mouth. “I need—I need—please, kiss me.”

He’s not proud of how much his voice wavers, how much he can feel the need to have her just in his voice, but he can’t control the way she affects him.

She takes the hint quickly, crashing her lips onto his again with passion. She’s leaning over him, arms still on the wall behind him, and all he wants is to have her closer. As she’s slowly devouring his lips, opening him up and taking him apart, he slinks his arms across her back, tightening to bring her down to his level. After a moment she seems to realize his intentions and bends her knees. She rests her legs on the outside of his thighs, trapping him in with her power, and he thinks he would swoon if he was standing.

Once she’s settled, bottom resting on his knees, she takes over again with kissing him, opening his mouth gently this time, like she has all the time in the world with him. She runs her hands through his curls, nails scraping lightly at his scalp, and the pressure from her thighs and bottom making his stomach coil, his groin responding despite how much he tries to stop himself. He tightens his grip on Eliza’s shirt, which causes her to open her mouth on his, a moan spilling from her mouth. Gilbert can’t stop his responding groan, his cock hardening in his pants even more.

She takes her mouth away from his and works on nibbling his jawline and working down to gently bite at his neck, pulling moans from the man easily. She shudders with every one, muscles in her legs clenching around him.

As she devours his neck slowly, he forces himself to speak.

“Eli-Eliza,” he whimpers, arms barely holding onto her back at this point. “Eliza, if you—”

“What, what is it,” she whispers at his Adam’s apple, breath moist.

“If you want more—I need—Please, the bed,” he hates how he can’t get his voice out properly, how turned on and taken apart he already is, but he doesn’t want to break their privacy, he doesn’t want to smell the incense that is way too strong next to them, he wants to only feel and taste the woman in front of him. “If we’re going to continue, I want—”

“Do you want to fuck me on your bed?” Eliza whispers into his ear, ripping a moan from the man yet again. “Do you want to smell my cunt when I’m gone?”

“Eliza, you’re going to make me explode,” he whispers, wishing he had the power to take control. “Shouldn’t I be the one doing that to you?”

“I’m an unconventional woman, Gil,” she says, leaning back and giving him the most seductive gaze he’s ever seen. “Let me take care of you, m'eudail.”

She raises herself from his lap, standing in front of him with a look that’s a mix of fondness and arousal that he wants to drown in. He goes to try and lift himself out of the chair to match her, but his arms are weak, and he can’t lift himself up the way he wants to.

Before he has a chance to even process the emotion he feels, her arms wrap around his chest, lifting him easily. He feels lightweight in her arms as she shuffles him, resting him in her arms like a bride. He feels himself blush at this action, but her loving and seductive gaze distracts him from trying to get out of her arms.

They arrive in the room and Eliza kicks the door closed behind her, the noise surprising Gilbert out of his stupor. She walks next to the bed and puts him down gently, hand flowing through his hair causing him to shiver. He’s still just as hard, but he feels less desperate now, having had her touch around him cool down his mind.

“Gil, mo leannan, let me take care of you,” her voice comes out thick with lust, heating him up again. “I want to do this for you.”

While something inside of him wants to do the same for her, he also can’t help but love the idea of such a strong, mature woman doing whatever she wants to him. He can’t fight back, even if he wanted to, but he just rests his arms above his head, nodding gently at her. Her bright smile, like the sunlight that he hasn’t seen in so long, feels like home.

She slowly undresses him, kissing his skin as she disrobes him, and he feels utterly worshipped by this woman. She takes her time with him, until he’s finally fully naked in front of her, shaking and red in the face. He’s not used to being looked at in this way, with so much love and adoration, and he doesn’t know how to respond. His cock is hard against his stomach, aching in anticipation, and he watches her undress herself.

She starts with her top, unbuttoning it quickly and shrugging it off her shoulders, revealing her large breasts to Gilbert. Her dark pink nipples were pebbled over, and Gilbert felt his mouth water at the sight. How he wished to run his tongue over them, cause Eliza to moan at the feeling, but he was too focused on watching the scene in front of him. She unlaces her trousers before peeling them off, no undergarments covering her groin.

She steps back onto the bed and knees her way over him, stark naked and muscles straining. When she’s got her hips just below his, much wider than his own, she reaches her hand over to one of his, still resting above his head. He lifts his hand to meet hers and she guides it to her crotch, fingers grazing dripping wet folds, and his breath is knocked out of him.

“See how wet you’ve made me, Gil,” she says, voice caught on a moan. “All we’ve done is kiss and I’m already dripping for you.”

His hand is frozen there, the warmth and wetness overwhelming his senses. He had never been with a woman in this way before and he already felt like he may reach his peak before they can get far.

“I—I’ve never done this before,” Gilbert admits, face burning in embarrassment. “I may not last with you in front of me, ‘Liza.”

She coos at the words, embarrassing him further, but smiles as she speaks. “It’s okay, dearest, you can come as much as you’d like. I’ll take it all.”

He groans in response before curling his fingers inwards, touching her gently and delighting in the delectable groan that spills from her. After a few seconds of fondling her pussy with wet fingers, she lifts herself away from his hand and she crawls down his legs until her face is aligned with his cock, breath warming him.

“If you need to come, don’t hold yourself back,” she whispers. “I won’t be done until I am completely satisfied with you, Gilbert.”

Before he can respond, she takes his length into her mouth, plump lips wrapping around him and knocking the wind out from his lungs. She takes her time with him, licking and sucking, basking in the moans she can pull from him, sometimes giggling in reaction, the vibration taking him apart even more. Each drag of her lips and tongue drives him closer to the edge, bringing him further and further off the cliff until he loses himself, pouring himself down her throat. He loudly moans as he feels her swallow around him, throat moving and constricting as she swallows his seed, draining him until he feels hollow, legs weaker than he’s ever felt before.

His cock is slightly soft, resting against his protruding hip bone, and he feels weak deep in his bones.

“Oh, mo chridhe, I’m not done with you yet,” she coos, crawling over him yet again before resting her pussy on his cock, wet folds overstimulating him. He yells out in response, groaning loudly when his cock begins to harden again despite the pain. “I told you that I would take care of you and I won’t be done until you’re completely dry.”

She rubs herself over his cock slowly, taking her time with pulling him apart and watching him closely as he curses and thrashes about. The pain subsides after a few minutes of the wriggling above him until he becomes fully hard again, leaking onto his own stomach along with the juices flowing out of Eliza and onto his stomach. His mind is overwhelmed at every sensation around him and he is tense in anticipation for what is coming next.

“Just focus on me, Gil,” Eliza says before holding his member in her hands and guiding it to her wet entrance, slowly lowering herself down onto him.

His moan is pulled from his body without trying, and his hands rest on her hips once she’s fully sheathed onto him, her bottom resting on his hips. The sight of her fully taking him in and the feeling of her thick thighs trapping him in and pussy keeping him deep inside of her.

“Oh, Gil, you don’t know what you do to me,” she whispers, trembling around him.

“I think I can tell pretty well how much you’re feeling the same as I am,” he responds, his voice much smoother than he expected it to be.

After a moment to get used to the feeling, Eliza begins to move around him, rocking her hips in a circular motion with a confidence that must come from knowing what she’s doing. He could get jealous at the obvious knowledge that she’s been with other men before, but the knowledge of her maturity as a lover does nothing but push him closer to the edge.

They spend what feels like an eternity rocking together, moving in sync with each other as their moans increase in volume, deafening to Gilbert’s senses. He feels like he’s on fire, like his senses are on high alert and he can’t think about anything besides the woman in front of him, the heat and wetness enveloping him and devouring him whole.

After a few more long moments of rocking back and forth, taking each other higher and higher, Gilbert feels himself get pushed off the edge violently. He releases inside of her, mind not even considering the implications of such an act since he is so overwhelmed in all of his senses. She trembles as she topples over the edge as well, wetness spilling onto Gilbert like a tidal wave of pleasure, moan starting loud before softening.

He expects her to lift off of his cock as soon as their minds clear, but she just leans forward, taking Gilbert’s lips with her own. They kiss slowly, as if they had all the time in the world, and Gilbert can’t even think of her leaving. He feels warm and settled, still buried inside of this gorgeous woman, and can’t move with her trapping him with her arms.

They kiss for what feels like ages when Eliza finally pulls off, his come leaking out of her and onto her pale thighs.

During their time together, Gilbert begins to lose count of how many times he comes with her, on her breasts, her face, inside of her again and again. The time stretches on until Gilbert begins shooting blanks, making Eliza laugh that beautiful, melodic sound that fills Gilbert with light.

“Seems I did my job in wiping you dry, Gil,” she flirts, her eyes cat like, light dancing in them.

After they calm down, Eliza takes her time with cleaning him up, kissing his reddened skin gently with each motion, before crawling into his bed with him, still stark naked. Her soft skin envelops him as she lays with him, arms and legs wrapped around him.

“Sleep, Gil, mo ghràdh,” Eliza whispers, burying her face in his shoulder.

“Mm, what does that mean, ‘Liza?” Gilbert asks, wishing he knew what everything she had said to him during their time together.

When there’s silence for a few moments, Gilbert moves his head to the side to look at her, only to see her bright blush.

“Eliza?” Gilbert asks, worried for the woman he’s known better than any before.

“It—it means, ‘my love’,” she answers, voice low and gaze hidden from him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, dearest heart,” Gilbert responds, bending his arm to bury his fingers in her hair. “Just rest, love.”

Once he can tell she’s asleep, her breath even and gentle against his neck, he closes his eyes, falling asleep to the sound of her breathing.

~~

Once Eliza wakes up, she knows she needs to leave before Gilbert wakes up. She hates doing so, but it will be much more difficult to leave once he wakes and can fight her on the fact that she has to leave. Her body feels the best kind of sore, the kind that shows she felt amazing during the act they committed. She watches Gilbert with a gentle look in her eyes, soaking in these last few moments with him.

After she soaks in her fill, she rises from the bed quietly and dresses in plain clothes, deciding to fully change once she arrives in the Hunter’s Dream. She can’t spend much longer in this home, with the scent of Gilbert sticking in every corner and the signs of life all over, making her heart clench.

Before she leaves, she writes a small note for him so that he knows she did not slink away in shame and know her intentions. It may be the cowardly route to do so, but she thinks she wouldn’t be able to handle seeing the look on Gilbert’s face when she has to walk out the door.

She leaves, taking one last look at the home that brought her comfort during her recovery, before walking to the lamp in front, chest aching in pain as she fades away.

~~

Gilbert wakes alone. He knows he’d slept longer than he usually does, can feel it in his bones, and he thinks that he will find Eliza in the sitting room, warming his fire and greeting him with a smile.

He dresses himself before walking in slowly, taking in his environment.

He’s alone. His home is small enough to where it doesn’t take him long to search around for Eliza, and she is gone, and he feels empty. His chest feels empty and he feels like he’s not really in his own home, the house way too cold and quiet for his liking. While Eliza was not loud, she had a presence that was impossible to ignore, and now that she was gone, it felt like the core of the warmth in his home was gone.

He goes to sit in his normal chair by the window, only to find a small piece of paper in the seat of it, waiting for him. He picks it up and sits, reading it in the lonely energy of his home.

_Gil,_

 _I’m sorry to have left like this. As a hunter, I have a task I need to work on, and I need to work quickly. I did not leave to harm you; I will work to cleanse these streets and create a safe place for you to stay. I promise you this: I_ will _return, and I will bring you somewhere safe. Please do not doubt me, my love._

_Eliza_

While he still feels hollow, the words of promise and adoration warm him and calm his mind. He may be alone for now; he can’t bring himself to doubt the lady hunter who has given him so much joy.

He rests his head back in his chair, staring out of his window, and thinks of the woman who had changed him in such little time.

~~

Eliza has a newfound sense of determination as she fights her way through Yharnam, taking down beasts at a rapid speed. It would probably seem gruesome to an outsider, but she has a reason to her anger, to her speed, to her cruelty. She can’t take too much time as she works her way back to the beast on the bridge, knowing that the longer she takes, the closer that Gilbert comes to death’s door.

She takes a deep breath as she arrives at the foggy entrance to the area of the bridge where she knows the beast waits and walks out towards the battle that brought her to Gilbert’s home originally.

~~

Time passes much too slowly for Gilbert’s liking since Eliza left, and it becomes harder and harder to continue to wait. She hasn’t stopped to speak at his window since she had left, and the loneliness eats away at him more than the disease consuming his lungs.

He waits, he sits in his much too quiet home, staring out of his window at the large moon that has not moved in such a long time. He feels like he is at a standstill and has no idea how long it has been since he had seen Eliza.

Before, he was okay with being alone. It bothered him sometimes, but he was so used to not seeing anyone that he never thought he would ever desire anyone’s presence with him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen someone who wasn’t the quiet blonde girl who brought him groceries every fortnight, her small smile being the only piece of life he ever saw.

Now, he had had an extended amount of time with another person, a beautiful woman who had already given him companionship, and now brought an affection into his life that he had never experienced. He cares about her more than any other person he ever has, his chest ached when he thought about her and he felt warm when he remembered her bright smile.

In such a small amount of time, he had come to love this woman in so many ways and he didn’t know how much longer he could take not knowing how she was, if she was alive or if she was in pain. The thought of her bleeding out, in pain, the way that he had seen her that day she had collapsed, brought him almost to tears, his chest seizing like someone was sitting on his ribs.

It had been gods know how long since he had last seen her when he hears a tap on his window, two taps of a knuckle on glass. He had been so lost in thought that he is taken by surprise by the noise, causing a coughing fit.

“Gil, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to catch you off guard,” Eliza’s voice comes through the window, and it feels like home. “Please tell me you’re alright.”

Once his coughing fit is over, he takes a deep breath, hoping his voice doesn’t show how much he was affected by hearing her voice.

“I’m alright, ma’am, please do not concern yourself,” he responds, moving his thin hand to rest against the window.

There’s an extended silence between them, pregnant with worries and emotion that Gilbert hesitates to say out loud.

“I’m sorry for how long I’ve been away,” Eliza says, and Gilbert’s heart hurts at the sorrow in it. “It was so hard to be away from you and I didn’t want to come back unless I had something important to tell you.”

“It’s alright, madam, a hunter has tasks that she is required to do,” he replies, masking his own emotion.

“Please, Gil, please tell me you don’t regret our time together,” she says after a few moments, voice sounding in pain.

Gilbert had tried to hide his own love, tried to come off as cold and distant towards her. He didn’t know why. Maybe he was still bitter about her leaving, maybe he just didn’t know how to handle the emotion she was gracing him with. At the sound of her pain, his heart breaks at the emotion inside of her, and he can’t hold back any longer. He could easily continue to be cruel to her, still hold her departure against her, but his love for her can’t take it.

“I need to know if you despise me, Gilbert, because I can’t take this,” she sounds like she’s on the edge of tears and his chest aches. “If you despise me, I will not ask anything more of you, I will not bother you any longer, but I will _not_ allow you to die if I can help it.”

“Eliza,” he starts, voice breaking in emotion. “I could never despise you. I was hurt by you leaving without saying anything to me, but I know it must have been difficult for you. You must know, you must know that when you left, you took my heart with you.”

There’s a quiet gasp from outside of the window, and the sound of someone leaning against the metal bars lining his window.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, Gil, I did not want to leave you, especially not like this,” her voice is thick, and Gilbert knows she’s crying, which hurts him to hear. “I’ve done nothing but think of you this entire time, you were my driving force for everything. You say I took your heart, but I left mine here with you. I’ve felt so hollow without having you with me.”

“Can you come in, please, Eliza?” Gilbert begs, wanting to see her more than anything. “I won’t keep you here, I promise, I just need to see you.”

After a moment, there’s a knock at the window in affirmation, and Gilbert’s chest aches.

“I can’t walk to the door, but it is unlocked, please just come in,” Gilbert says, leaning forward in his chair.

A few seconds pass before there’s the sound of the door opening and Eliza walks in, her hunter garb splotched with blood and face covered. Her eyes are wet, and Gilbert wishes he could walk to her and give her the comfort she needs. She takes off her hat and lowers her face covering, shrugs off her coat, and walks over to him, curls falling out of her pins and tear tracks staining her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry, Gil, I really am,” Eliza says, getting onto her knees and resting her head onto his thighs, wet tears flooding onto him. “I did not mean to hurt you in this way, I really didn’t. I—I didn’t get to tell you how much I adore you and this is not what I wanted to happen to you.”

He’s overwhelmed—he hurts at seeing her tears and her pain, but he feels so relieved at seeing her safe from harm, knowing how much she cares about him fills him with light and warmth.

“Eliza, please, raise your head for me, love,” he whispers, moving his hands to raise her face towards him. “Please do not cry, you have nothing to apologize for. I was hurt, but I understand what you had to do. I’ve just been concerned for you, not knowing if you’re well or hurting. It kills me to think you could be hurt out there and I wouldn’t know.”

Eliza looks up at him, eyes red and wet, and she nods in response. She leans her head back down and takes deep breaths, calming herself in the sweet silence between the both of them. After a number of minutes, she seems to have regained herself and stands again.

“You don’t know how glad I am to see you well, Gil,” she says, smiling down at him with affection in her eyes. “I killed that beast haunting the bridge and I’ve found a way to the church you told me about. There’s a man in my way, but I will get through him and bring you there.”

Gilbert’s attention peaks. “A man?”

“He’s a hunter, Gascoigne,” she says, and the name sounds familiar to him. “He’s lost himself to bloodlust and killed his wife. I found his daughter in the city, but I don’t know if I have the heart to tell her what happened. She sounds very young and I don’t believe she has anyone with her.”

He listens to her speak, voice filling him like water and replacing the emptiness that had taken over him before.

“I have to go, again, Gil, but I will be back,” Eliza says, her eyes sad but determined. “I will not die on you and I intend for you to uphold that promise as well.”

Gilbert nods, knowing he can’t verbally promise that to her, but not wanting to cause her worry. She smiles down at him before leaning down and taking his lips with hers, lovingly taking him apart and giving him a promise with her lips that she will come back to him. He feels loved, he feels warm, and he feels like he could do anything.

After minutes of gentle kissing, she leaves a kiss at the top of Gilbert’s head before she leaves, leaving him much less empty than her previous time away.

~~

Eliza leaves the killing hit into Gascoigne’s beastly body, breath punching through her lungs and body aching in pain from the effort. Before she had come here, she had killed everything she could find in Yharnam, covering herself in the blood of the beasts that tried to kill her, and now she had so much blood soaked into her clothes that it was dripping down, making it seem as if she was the one bleeding when her injuries were minimal. After she catches her breath, she moves forward, making her way to the doorway that Gascoigne was blocking. She doesn’t know how much further ahead the church is but she’s ready to kill anything in her way so she can bring Gilbert somewhere safe.

~~

Gilbert hadn’t seen Eliza in what felt like ages, but he trusts that she’s kept her side of the promise they made the day she left. While she had been gone, his health was still deteriorating, but he refused to die on her. Every time that he doubted himself and worried that his lungs would collapse on him, he remembered her warm lips on him and the determination in her voice from their last meeting and he would keep himself alive, just to see her one last time.

He waits by the window for her every time he’s awake, reading books or simply waiting, hoping to hear a knock on the window.

It’s one of these nights that he sits and waits that he suddenly has a knock at the door, instead of the window. He jumps slightly before a voice flows through.

“Gil, it’s me, Eliza,” she says, as if waiting for permission to enter. Hearing her voice makes his heart race in a way he is still trying to get used to.

“Come in, you don’t need to wait,” Gilbert says, a smile coming to his face before he can stop it.

“I need you to know that my appearance might be frightening, and I don’t want you to become upset about it,” she says, voice shaky and out of breath. “I’ve killed everything out here that could harm you, but in the process, I’ve become covered in blood. Most of it is not mine and I am not injured, so please do not become concerned.”

His heart rate rises again and there’s a sinking feeling in his stomach. He trusts that she isn’t lying to him, but he doesn’t trust that his reaction will stay calm.

“Come in,” he repeats, and the door opens slowly.

She walks in and it is almost as bad as what he visualized, but most of what is covering her is dry, proving to him that it isn’t her own blood that is covering her. The scent is what is the worst of it, the already copper scent of the hunters becoming way more intense than he had ever experienced before.

“Gil, I told you that I will bring you somewhere that can protect you, and I have found that place,” Eliza says, eyes burning with something Gilbert can’t name. “I need you to trust me when I say that I can bring you there. I know you cannot walk there, and I know that I can carry you there safely. While it won’t be pleasant, I want you to trust me enough to let me carry you there.”

Gilbert is in a stunned silence at this speech, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. After a moment, he manages to close his mouth and nod at her.

“I trust you, more than anyone I’ve known in years,” Gilbert says, ready to go with the Hunter to hell and back.

She smiles at his admission before approaching him, holding her arms out to pick him up again like he’s made of air. She holds him in the same way that she did when she carried him to the bed and he buries his face in her neck, slightly embarrassed at the position. She kisses the top of his head quickly before leaving, closing the door behind her.

The trip passes in an ambiguous amount of time, too distracted by the feeling of being carried by strong arms, surrounded by protective energy and the scent of blood around him. He’s too distracted by the sight of her pulse beating in her neck and the sight of her mouth slightly smiling. Every few minutes she buries her nose in his hair, nuzzling him and breathing deeply. When she had arrived at his home, she was out of breath and her pulse was beating rapidly. Now, she was calm and regular in her breathing, not moving too fast or too slow and holding Gilbert with such tenderness that he couldn’t help the racing of his own pulse. He would stay here longer if he could, enjoying the feeling of love surrounding him.

They arrive too quickly for Gilbert’s liking, wanting to stay in her arms until the night is finally over, but he knows that this moment will end at some point. The church is empty besides a creature resting underneath a red cloak in the corner that gives Gilbert the creeps.

“This is Gilbert,” she introduces him to the creature as she rests him next to it. “He’s important to me and I need you to focus on him with any treatment you find, dweller.”

Gilbert is distracted by the adoring words to notice what the dweller says in response, but they speak to each other for a few moments before Eliza turns towards him.

“I trust the dweller to care for you while I finish this, Gil, so I need you to trust me,” she says, resting her hand on his cheek. “I want you to stay here and wait for me. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but you’ll be safe here. I promise you that.”

Gilbert trusts her, knows that she wouldn’t lie to him about this, so he nods.

She kisses his forehead and waits there, soaking in the feeling, before she stands.

“Dweller, I trust you, but if any hair of his is out of place when I come back here, your fate is in my hands,” Eliza says, voice bitter and dark.

Before the dweller can respond, she walks to a small lamp that looks like it is growing from the ground. She bends down to it and slowly disappears, leaving Gilbert stunned in her wake.

~~

Eliza wants to look back, wants to stay with Gilbert until the night is over, but she knows she can’t. She will do anything to bring peace and health to the man, even if it comes down to dying over and over again.

~~

Gilbert sees Eliza a few times after first bringing him to the church, bringing him healing items and different things to help him. He feels like he is slowly recovering there and feels bad at his suspicion of the church dweller. While he may look like a bad character, he was actually a great listener and kept Gilbert safe like he promised. Slowly, more and more people joined the church and would sometimes speak to him. Arianna, the prostitute, is eager to talk to him and helps him with his illness by giving him blood when she can. The two older people who came to the church wouldn’t talk to him, but they weren’t openly harsh to him, which was nice. He hadn’t been around so many people since he could last remember, and he was just happy to have company.

Eventually, he did not see Eliza in the church any longer. He didn’t know where she was, but Arianna and the dweller reassured him that she was well and would return. He knew that she would, but it still made his chest ache when he would fall asleep after not seeing her.

It feels like it’s been months since he last saw her, and it was hard to remember the times they had together clearly. He wishes that she would come by and smile at him again, but he supposes that being a hunter is busy enough work that she couldn’t stop by to see him.

He loved her, and she had affirmed that she had cared for him, but it was easy to have doubts when he was left to his own devices.

After what feels like months, Arianna disappears. She hadn’t been well enough to talk for a long time and after waking up one day, she is just gone from the church. The dweller doesn’t know about the situation, but Gilbert has been feeling better due to their treatments enough to finally walk again on his own. He thinks he could try and look for her, but the dweller in the church is adamant that he cannot leave the building.

The endless night stretches on when he looks outside, red moon staining the sky and clouds a wine color that brings dread to his bones.

~~

Gilbert approaches the side door of the church in response to not hearing any noise outside, feeling off about something.

When he steps out, he feels the sun on his skin for the first time in what feels like years. The warmth envelops him, and he knows the hunt is over and all he wants to know is if the love of his life is okay. He wants to see her, he wants to walk into her arms, he wants to leave Yharnam with her.

He sits next to the dweller, telling him about how daylight has finally come, and each minute that passes brings him more and more worry. The dweller will remind him that he shouldn’t be worried, but he can’t help himself.

At dawn, Gilbert watches as a silhouette passes by the front entrance of the church, large hat pointing up and coat tail floating in the wind.

He knows it’s her and he raises himself up, walking as fast as he can to meet her at the entrance, warm arms enveloping him tightly and the smell of earth and copper filling his senses.

“Thank you for waiting, Gil,” she whispers to him, burying her face in his neck and breathing deeply. “It’s over. I won’t have to leave you again.”

Gilbert backs slightly from her grip so he can look at her, soak in her smile that shines brighter than the sun.

“Good. I love you, Eliza,” he says, not waiting to be alone or anywhere else to fully be honest with her.

“I love you, too, Gil,” she says, before kissing him roughly, arms wrapping around his waist and holding him fiercely.

He feels complete, he feels safe, he feels at home.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope yall liked this!! i was very sad at gilbert being a doomed character that i had to take the plot into my own hands and fix it. i'm probably the only one who sees gilbert as a femboy but i hope y'all enjoy it. thanks for coming by!!


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